Many different playpens have been designed and suggested for use. Most of the playpens which have been commercialized are rather bulky and very cumbersome to use. Even those playpens which are said to be portable are cumbersome to use. Various examples of such playpens can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,464,866; 2,491,036; 2,590,315; 2,784,420; 3,165,760; and 4,538,309.
While certain of the playpens are referred to as being foldable, they can only be folded to a size which is still generally large and difficult to transport. Other playpens which are said to be portable are in fact of the type which must be disassembled and later reassembled. It is readily apparent that the known playpens are not convenient to use either because of their bulky size or because of the time consuming steps needed for disassembly and reassembly.
There is a very apparent need for a playpen which is truly portable. Such a playpen necessarily must be foldable into a size which is compact. Ideally, the playpen would be comprised of a minimum number of parts so as to allow for an easy folding series of steps as well as to reduce the cost of any such structure. In accordance with this need, there is disclosed herein a portable playpen which is foldable to a compact state. The playpen is economical to manufacture and is easy to use.